MIDL: Developing The Whole Breath

In this MIDL Mindfulness Training you develop your skill in mindfulness of breathing by becoming aware of the whole length of each breath from its beginning, to its middle and end. This is done by intentionally bringing your awareness towards the beginning of each in-breath and the beginning of each out-breath. This naturally develops a clear perception of the length of each breath allowing you to cultivate concentration.

Transcript

And during this mindfulness training,

We'll practice the skill of developing sensitivity to the length of each breath as it moves within our body.

Start out by taking your meditation posture.

Now closing your eyes over lightly.

Start to be aware of what it feels like just to be here.

Becoming aware of any sounds around you.

Using the change within the sound to hold your attention.

Now slowly bringing your awareness into your body.

To the experience of just sitting here.

Being aware of any warmth or coolness within your body.

Also becoming aware of the touch of your hands.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Being grounded.

The experience of your whole body just sitting here.

And the pressure of your whole body just resting on the chair or on the floor.

Now relax your chest and belly and allow your breathing to flow freely and naturally within your body.

Being aware of the natural flow of the breathing.

Don't try to control the breathing in any way.

Just be aware of the full length of each breath as it moves through your body.

Being aware of this full breath as if from a distance.

Just a flow of sensations within your body.

Start to be aware of the whole of your breath.

From the tip of your nose as it moves into your chest.

As it goes deep down into your belly and all the way back out again.

Being aware of breathing as it moves through your body.

Start to notice the length of each breath.

See if you can notice the beginning of the in-breath,

The very moment it begins.

And the end of the in-breath.

When you become aware of the beginning of the in-breath,

You may also notice its middle and its end.

Be aware of the full length of the breath.

Now see if you can notice the very beginning of your out-breath,

The very moment it begins.

As you become aware of the beginning of your out-breath,

You will also become aware of its middle and middle.

Silently,

Without thinking,

Be aware of the length of each breath.

Silently.

Is the length of the in-breath and the out-breath the same,

Or are they different?

Notice any differences between the breath coming in and the breath going out.

Silently.

Now start to notice the sensations within each breath.

Sensations such as coolness,

Warmth,

Pressure and movement.

As the breath comes in,

You may feel coolness at the tip of your nose.

And an expanding feeling moving throughout your body.

As your breath goes out,

You may feel warmth at the tip of your nose.

And a falling feeling throughout your body.

How do you experience the difference between the in-breath and the out-breath?

Silently.

Just simply be aware of the experience of this breathing.

What sensations do you experience within the breathing?

What sensations tell you when the breath is coming in and when the breath is going out?

Silently.

Just simply be aware of the experience of the breathing as it moves through your whole body.

Be aware of the subtle changes within the breath.

Slowly start to widen your awareness of your body.

And notice that you can feel the breathing moving within it.

You may be able to feel the movement of breathing inside your head.

An expanding and contracting feeling.

You may also be able to notice it in your shoulders and upper back.

You may be able to feel it in your arms.

You can be sensed in your arms.

And also felt in your lower back and abdomen.

Felt in your hips and legs.

Be aware of the whole breath as it moves through your body.

And notice that you can feel the breathing moving within your body.

Notice how your whole body rises and falls with each breath.

Your whole body expands and contracts.

And just being aware of your body as it breathes.

Your whole body expands and contracts.

And the simplicity,

The gentleness of the movement of your breath.

Drawing in more deeply inwards.

Becoming more calm,

More still.

And the simplicity,

The gentleness of the movement of your breath.

Now slowly bring your awareness back into your body.

Being aware of the experience of just sitting here.

Aware of any warmth or coolness within your body.

The heaviness of your body as it relaxes.

The pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Start to be aware of any sounds around you.

And just allowing the sounds to come into you.

And when you're ready you can gently open your eyes.

Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.

And goodbye.

Reviews

Day 71 week 10 :
Question :
Feeling dropping sensation , however are being brought back by head alignment sometimes needing to adjust as gravitty naturely moving forward with letting go.. when in balance loosing all sense of body with breathe Instruction... but finding cushion against wall at back is very supportive for posture .. do l need to maintain strong unaided posture as wanting complete relaxation ; ) just wondering if taking practice into workplace is this ok to start here, leaning into comfort, but for location change to workplace and deepening work state ? Does body alignment matter, will it eventually blend effortlessly given time ?

Many thanks again in deepening my understanding !
Best
💜 helen

Week 10. One really needs to prepare with the online extensive expansions for each lessons. If one does that and goes through the steps then it leads up to magic.

I love spending my morning with Stephen. Through this sequence I experience myself and the works in such a different way. I am so grateful he has gifted us this beautiful series.

Thank you! Question: should my breath be in through the nose and out through the nose?

I love the stillness of his voice- it is contagious 💞🙏💞

Another great meditation in this course, thank you for creating it and helping me in my path!

Finished day 7, week 8. Many facets of the breath observed; in and out, expance, contraction, length, flow, rythm. Although I found myself wandering from time to time coming back to my breath felt like coming home. Thank you Stephen... I am grateful for another experience with your guidance. 🧘‍♂️

With a soft and quiet voice Stephen take you through a complete exercise of breathing and awareness. Thanks a lot

How simple it is to feel life just by breathing

Really interesting experiencing the breath within different places in my body. Thank you Stephen.

Thank you Stephen from the bottom of my heart for sharing your amazing gift with others 💜

Wow, really great to circle back to some of these earlier meditations. I really felt stillness and flexible attention during this training. You’re very correct that the experience I had today I believe was much different than a year ago. Thanks Stephen!

Wonderful practice once you click with the intent and stop being frustrated that watching the breath is too simple to be meaningful.

I liked this lesson, more talk from Stephen then some of the previous lessons, but I trust this is done purposely. Thank you Stephen!

Yet another investigating excursion inside our bodies and minds. I find these guided safaris within ever interesting. This journey even went beyond borders and made me feel as one with Creation. The same feeling I get when spending time in nature, a wholeness of everything. We are all one. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for another excellent training. I'm finding as you guide us through perceiving the breath in different parts of the body that I'm still controlling the breath, sort of like in training 3 of 52 where we learn the softening into breathing. As we get to the later part of the meditation I'm able to let go of the control and just observe.

I am grateful for you, your trainings, and the group 🌿

Thank you, again for this helpful series.
I often feel like a fake meditator because my mind frequently wanders, even after establishing a day practice for over a year. I notice the wandering and go back to my intended focus, but I don't acknowledge the thinking "gently". I just change the channel back so to speak back to the breath. Is this right?
Gratefully,
Joanna

Challenging and rewarding. Good practice. Thank you for this experience.